Elementary Energy Infobook by NEED Project

Elementary Energy Infobook A classroom resource containing fact sheets that introduce students to energy, energy sources, electricity, consumption, and conservation. Infobooks can be used as a resource for many activities.

Pri

Grade Level:

Elem Elementary

Subject Areas:

Int Sec Science

Social Studies

Language Arts

Technology

NEED Mission Statement The mission of The NEED Project is to promote an energy-conscious and educated society by creating effective networks of students, educators, business, government, and community leaders to design and deliver objective, multi-sided energy education programs.

Permission to Copy NEED curriculum is available for reproduction by classroom teachers only. NEED curriculum may only be reproduced for use outside the classroom setting when express written permission is obtained in advance from The NEED Project. Permission for use can be obtained by contacting info@need.org.

Energy Data Used in NEED Materials NEED believes in providing teachers and students with the most recently reported, available, and accurate energy data. Most statistics and data contained within this guide are derived from the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Data is compiled and updated annually where available. Where annual updates are not available, the most current, complete data year available at the time of updates is accessed and printed in NEED materials. To further research energy data, visit the EIA website at www.eia.gov.

Teacher Advisory Board

Teacher Advisory Board Constance Beatty Kankakee, IL

Robert Lazar Albuquerque, NM

La’Shree Branch Highland, IN

Melissa McDonald Gaithersburg, MD

Jim M. Brown Saratoga Springs, NY

Paula Miller Philadelphia, PA

Mark Case Randleman, NC

Hallie Mills St. Peters, MO

Lisa Cephas Philadelphia, PA Nina Corley Galveston, TX Samantha Danielli Vienna, VA

Monette Mottenon Montgomery, AL

Mollie Mukhamedov Port St. Lucie, FL In support of NEED, the national Teacher Advisory Board (TAB) is dedicated to developing, Shannon Donovanimproving, and promoting standards-based, effective energy curriculum, training, and outreach. NEED thanks these individuals forRItheir support and collaboration. Greene, Cori Nelson Winfield, IL Greg Schanne Paula Miller, M.Ed Samantha Danielli, M.Ed Adebisi Babayemi, M.Ed, NBCT Michelle Garlick Philadelphia, PAJr. Philadelphia, PALong Grove, IL Vienna, VA Bowie, MD Don Pruett Amy Schott, M.Ed, Hallie Mills, Ed.D Jennifer Davis, M.Ed La’Shree Branch Puyallup, WA NBCT Raleigh, NC Sammamish, WA Cincinnati, OH Highland, IN Michelle Gay Kristin M.Ed Jennifer Mitchell-Winterbottom, M.Ed, WT Michelle Garlick, M.Ed James M. Brown, NBCT, CEM, BOC Daphne, AL JudySlota, Reeves Cary, IL Pottstown, PA Yardley, PA Saratoga Springs, NY Lake Charles, LA Brandon Staton Nancy Gifford, M.S. Mollie Mukhamedov Karely Carlos, M.S. Nancy Gifford Thomasville, NC Lodi, CA Harwich, MA Port St. Lucie, FL Harwich, MA Libby Robertson Matthew Reis, Ph.D Jennifer Trochez Mark Case, M.S. Erin Gockel, M.Ed Chicago, IL MacLean, M.Ed, NBCT Los Angeles, CA Chía, ColombiaErin Gockel Randleman, NC Farmington, NM Scott Valenta Greg Holman Craig Richard,Farmington, M.Ed Lisa Cephas, M.Ed NM Amy Schott Atkinson, NH Winfi eld, IL NC Paradise, CA Philadelphia, PA Raleigh, Libby Robertson Nina Corley Melissa King, MLIS Robert Griegoliet Gaithersburg, MD Chicago, IL Galveston, TX Naperville, IL Tom Spencer Chesapeake, VA Eric Havel Oakland, CA Jennifer Trochez MacLean NEED teachers eventually must retire from the classroom, but many remain engaged in their communities and with NEED curriculum, training, and DaNel Hogan Los Angeles, CA outreach activities. NEED thanks these individuals for their continued support and collaboration. Tucson, AZ Constance Beatty Barbara Lazar, M.Ed Cori Nelson Judy Reeves Wayne Yonkelowitz Kankakee, IL Albuquerque, NM Hinckley, IL Holman Lake Charles, LA Greg Fayetteville, WV Paradise, CA Melinda Forist Robert Lazar Don Pruett, Jr., M.Ed Wayne Yonkelowitz, M.Ed, NBCT,

NEED TAB Emeriti

Wellfleet, MA

Albuquerque, NM

Puyallup, WA

Barbara Lazar Albuquerque, NM

Milken Educator Fayetteville, WV

Elementary Energy Infobook

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Elementary Energy Infobook Table of Contents Standards Correlation Information

NEED Elementary Curriculum Resources

What Is Energy?

History of Energy

Biomass 10 Coal 12 Geothermal 14 Hydropower 16 Natural Gas

Petroleum 20 Propane 22 Solar 24 Uranium (Nuclear)

Wind 28 Electricity 30 Energy Safety

Saving Energy

Glossary 39

Elementary Energy Infobook

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Standards Correlation Information www.NEED.org/educators/curriculum-correlations

Next Generation Science Standards This guide effectively supports many Next Generation Science Standards. This material can satisfy performance expectations, science and engineering practices, disciplinary core ideas, and crosscutting concepts within your required curriculum. For more details on these correlations, please visit NEED’s curriculum correlations website.

Common Core State Standards This guide has been correlated to the Common Core State Standards in both language arts and mathematics. These correlations are broken down by grade level and guide title, and can be downloaded as a spreadsheet from the NEED curriculum correlations website.

Individual State Science Standards This guide has been correlated to each state’s individual science standards. These correlations are broken down by grade level and guide title, and can be downloaded as a spreadsheet from the NEED website.

Elementary Energy Infobook

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NEED Elementary Curriculum Resources

For more in-depth information, inquiry investigations, and engaging activities, download these curriculum resources from www.NEED.org/shop.

INTRODUCTORY ACTIVITIES

Energy Games and Icebreakers

STEP ONE: Science of Energy

Energy Flows

Energy Polls

EnergyWorks Elementary Science of Energy What Is Energy?

STEP TWO: Sources of Energy

STEP THREE: Electricity and Magnetism

All About Coal Elementary Infobook Activities Energy Expos Energy Games and Icebreakers Energy in the Balance Energy Stories and More Wind for Schools Wonders of Offshore Wind Wonders of Oil and Natural Gas Wonders of the Sun Wonders of Water Wonders of Wind

STEP SIX: Synthesis and Reinforcement

Energy Around the World Energy Careers Excursion Energy Carnival Energy Fair Energy Games and Icebreakers Energy in the Balance Energy Jeopardy Energy Live! Energy Math Challenge Energy on Stage Global Trading Game Greek Mythology and Energy Mystery World Tour NEED Songbook Primary Energy Carnival This Mine of Mine Yesterday in Energy

STEP SEVEN: Evaluation

Energy Polls

STEP EIGHT: Student Leadership and Outreach

Blueprint for Student Energy Teams

Baseload Balance ElectroWorks Elementary Infobook Activities Energy Games and Icebreakers Energy Stories and More Reliably Smart Sidekick Circuits Wonders of Magnets

STEP FOUR: Transportation

STEP FIVE: Efficiency and Conservation

Energy Expos Energy Stories and More Hybrid Buses Transportation Exploration Transportation Fuels Live! Energy Conservation Contract Energy Expos Energy Games and Icebreakers Energy House Managing Home Energy Use School Energy Inspectors Talking Trash Today in Energy

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Question Bank Youth Awards Program Guide

e What Is Energy? Energy helps us do things. It gives us light. It warms our bodies and homes. It bakes cakes and keeps milk cold. It runs our TVs and our cars. It makes us grow and move and think. Energy is the power to change things. It is the ability to do work.

Energy Is Light Light is a form of energy we use all the time. We use it so we can see. We get most of our light from the sun. Working during the day saves money because sunlight is free. At night, we must make our own light. Usually, we use electricity to make light. Flashlights use electricity, too. This electricity comes from batteries.

Energy Is Heat We use energy to make heat. The food we eat keeps our bodies warm. Sometimes, when we run or work hard, we get really hot. In the winter, our jackets and blankets hold in our body heat. We use the energy stored in plants and other things to make heat. We burn wood and natural gas to cook food and warm our houses. Factories burn fuel to make the products they sell. Power plants burn natural gas and coal to make electricity.

Energy Makes Things Grow All living things need energy to grow. Plants use light from the sun to grow. Plants change the energy from the sun into sugar and store it in their roots and leaves. This is called photosynthesis. Animals can’t change light energy into sugars. Animals, including people, eat plants and use the energy stored in them to grow. Animals can store the energy from plants in their bodies.

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Energy Makes Things Move It takes energy to make things move. Cars and motorcycles run on the energy stored in gasoline. Many toys run on the energy stored in batteries. Sailboats are pushed by the energy in the wind. After a long day, do you ever feel too tired to move? You’ve run out of energy. You need to eat some food to refuel.

Energy Runs Machines It takes energy to run our TVs, computers, and video games— energy in the form of electricity. We use electricity many times every day. It gives us light and heat, makes things move, and runs our toys, electronics, and microwaves. Imagine what your life would be like without electricity. We make electricity by burning coal, oil, gas, and even trash. We make it from the energy that holds atoms together. We make it with energy from the sun, the wind, and falling water. Sometimes, we use heat from inside the Earth to make electricity.

Energy Doesn’t Disappear There is the same amount of energy today as there was when the world began. When we use energy, we don’t use it up completely; we change it into other forms of energy. When we burn wood, we change its energy into heat and light. When we drive a car, we change the energy in the gasoline into heat and motion. There will always be the same amount of energy in the world, but more and more of it will be changed into heat. Most of that heat will go into the air. It will still be there, but it will be hard to use. Image courtesy of BP

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e History of Energy Energy Comes From Nature Natural resources are created by nature. Plants, forests, wildlife, air, water, sunshine, soil, rocks, minerals, and fossil fuels are natural resources found on Earth. All living things depend on natural resources for their survival. Plants need sunlight, air, water, and nutrients from the soil. Animals use natural resources for food, water, air, and shelter.

Natural Resources

Image courtesy of Adobe Stock

Humans have always depended on natural resources. Our ancestors used the sun for daylight and warmth. They breathed fresh air and drank cool water. They ate plants and animals for food. They burned trees for fire. They built tools out of shells and rocks, and they built shelter from trees and soil. Like our ancestors, we depend on these natural resources for our survival, too.

Using More Natural Resources Over time, people found new ways to use natural resources. Water and wind turned wheels to grind grain and pump water. Coal provided heat for steam engines that could run machines and move trains. Coal was also important for making steel. Using natural resources allows us to grow more food, live healthier lives, travel great distances, and build large communities. The technology we use to make life safer and better is possible because of natural resources.

Image courtesy of Adobe Stock

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Some of Earth’s natural resources are valuable sources of energy. These sources of energy fuel our cars and trucks, warm our homes, and generate the electricity we use every day. Humans depend on natural resources to meet all of our energy needs. Some natural resources are renewable. Nature is able to replace or replenish Earth’s supply over a short time. Some renewable natural resources Image courtesy of Adobe Stock Fossil fuel storage tanks. are sunlight, air, water, plants, and animals. Some natural resources are nonrenewable. They take millions of years to form, so nature is not able to replace or replenish Earth’s supply very quickly. Some nonrenewable natural resources are fossil fuels, rocks, and minerals.

Using Energy Affects Earth Earth’s natural resources have made our lives better, but using them affects the environment. For example, when a beaver uses trees to build a shelter in a river, the trees create a dam that floods the surrounding area. Plants living around the beaver’s dam may die under water, and animals might need to find new homes. Humans’ use of natural resources also affects the environment. Cutting down forests for wood or farming land for food destroys animal habitats. Excavating rock at a quarry to make cement or build roads changes the landscape. Burning fossil fuels to power cars and trucks emits pollution and carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. People depend on natural resources. Plants and animals depend on us to be careful when we use natural resources. It is important to use natural resources wisely. There are things we can do to protect the environment as we use Earth’s natural resources. We can choose to use less energy. We can conserve water. We can clean up trash. We can reduce waste, shop wisely, and recycle. We can plant trees. We can use natural resources wisely so they remain available for the future.

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Image courtesy of Adobe Stock

Coal mine

Image courtesy of Adobe Stock

Biomass Biomass is anything that is alive. It is also anything that was alive a short time ago. Trees, crops, garbage, and animal waste are all biomass. Most biomass we use for energy today is biofuel—biomass turned into fuels for cars and trucks. Another important type of biomass is wood. We burn wood to make heat. Biomass gets its energy from the sun. Plants store the sun’s energy in their leaves and roots. When we eat biomass, we use the energy to move and grow. When we burn biomass, we use the energy to make heat. We can also change the energy in biomass into gas and liquid fuels. Biomass provides us with five percent of our energy. Image courtesy of branex/Adobe Stock

Biomass Is Renewable Biomass energy is renewable, which means more biomass can be made in a short time. We can always grow more plants. When loggers cut down trees for wood, more should be planted. Farmers take care of the soil in which their crops grow.

We Use Biomass Every Day People and animals get their energy from biomass. The energy in everything we eat comes from plants. Bread is made from wheat, a plant. Hamburgers are made from beef, which came from cows that ate grass and grain. Until about 175 years ago, biomass gave people most of the energy they used. The cave dwellers and settlers burned wood for heat. They burned wood to cook food. In some areas, wood is still used for most energy needs. People also burn corn cobs and straw. In places without trees, people burn the waste from cows and pigs or food waste.

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Electricity Biomass can be used to make electricity. Many towns burn their garbage in waste-to-energy plants. Instead of putting the garbage into landfills, they burn it to make electricity. This saves landfill space and gives them energy, too. Biomass provides one percent of our electricity. Burning biomass produces smoke and can have a bad smell. Many people do not like to burn waste near their towns. Waste-to-energy plants work to scrub the air from the burning waste to reduce pollution and smells.

Garbage can be burned to generate electricity.

Biogas Biomass can be used to make an energy-rich gas called biogas. Biogas is like the natural gas we use in our stoves and furnaces. In India, farmers use all of their garbage, and even animal waste, to make biogas. They put the waste into big tanks without air. The biomass makes biogas as it decomposes. Farmers use the biogas to cook food and light their homes. The waste that is left after the biomass breaks down can be used as fertilizer to grow more crops.

Ethanol and Biodiesel

Image courtesy of Ashden Awards for Sustainable Energy

Biomass can also be turned into a fuel like gasoline. Just as apples can be made into cider, corn, wheat, grasses, soybeans, and vegetable oils can be made into ethanol and biodiesel.

This woman in India has a biogas tank in her backyard. Biogas provides her home with energy for cooking and lighting.

Ethanol is a fuel a lot like gasoline. Ethanol burns cleaner than gasoline. It is also renewable. In many places, gasoline and ethanol are mixed together to make a fuel that any vehicle can use. Biodiesel is a fuel a lot like diesel fuel, but it is cleaner. It is also renewable. Biodiesel can be mixed with regular diesel. Many large trucks and farm equipment use biodiesel.

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Coal Coal is a shiny, black rock. Coal has lots of energy in it. When it is burned, it makes heat and light energy. One thousand years ago, people in China used coal to produce copper, and the Romans burned coal for heat. Early American settlers didn’t use much coal—they burned wood. In the United States, people began using coal to heat their homes in the 1800s. Trains and ships began using coal for fuel. Factories used coal to make iron and steel. Today, most coal is used to make electricity.

Coal Is a Fossil Fuel Coal was formed many millions of years ago. Back then, much of the Earth was covered by huge swamps. They were filled with giant ferns and plants. As the plants died, they sank to the bottom of the swamps. Over the years, thick layers of plants were covered by dirt and water. They were packed down by the weight. After a long time, the heat and pressure changed the dead plants into coal. Coal is called a fossil fuel because it was made from the fossilized plants that were once alive. The energy in coal came from the sun.

WATER

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How Coal Was Formed

D ROC

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Vegetation turns to peat

AGO 100

MILL

N YE Before the dinosaurs lived and died, many giant ARS AGO plants died in swamps. Over millions to hundreds of millions of years, these plants were buried under water and dirt. Heat and pressure turned the dead plants into coal.

Mining for coal

EAM

S COAL

TOD AY Note: not to scale

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Coal Is Nonrenewable The coal we use today took millions of years to form. We can’t make more in a short time. That is why it is called nonrenewable. There is a lot of coal in the United States. There is enough to last hundreds of years at the rate we use it now.

Digging for Coal Most coal is buried under the ground. We must dig it out—mine it. If the coal is deep in the ground, tunnels called mine shafts are dug down to the coal. Machines dig the coal and carry it to the surface. Some mine shafts are 1,000 feet deep. This is called deep mining.

Deep Mining

If coal is near the surface, miners dig it up with huge machines. First, they scrape off the dirt and rock, then dig out the coal. This is called surface mining. After the coal is mined, they put back the dirt and rock. They plant trees and grass. The land can be used again. This is called reclamation.

Electricity After the coal is mined, it is cleaned and shipped to market. Most coal is moved by trains to power plants and factories. Sometimes it is moved on barges along rivers. Power plants burn the coal to make electricity. Coal gives us about 17 percent of the electricity we use and about nine percent of our total energy.

Coal Can Pollute the Air Burning coal makes smoke and soot. Some of the smoke has sulfur. Sulfur can burn your nose and throat if you breathe it in. Power plants and factories must try to keep as much pollution as possible from getting into the air. They clean the coal before they burn it. They use scrubbers to try to remove harmful particles from the smoke before it goes into the air. Coal produces carbon dioxide when it is burned. Coal also leaves ash behind that must be disposed of or repurposed.

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Surface Mining

COA LS

EAM

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Geothermal Geothermal comes from the Greek words geo (earth) and therme (heat). Geothermal energy is heat inside the Earth. The inside of the Earth is very hot. Sometimes this heat comes near the surface. We can use this heat to warm our houses. We can make electricity with it. Geothermal provides the U.S. with less than one percent of our energy.

The Earth Is Not Solid

CRUST

The Earth is made of parts or layers, like a hard-boiled egg. At the center is a core of iron. Around that is an outer core of iron and rock so hot the rock is melted. This liquid rock is called magma. The middle layer is a mixture of rock and magma called the mantle. The shell of the Earth—with the oceans and mountains—is called the crust.

MANTLE

magma & rock

OUTER CORE liquid metal

INNER CORE

In some places, magma comes close to the Earth’s surface. It heats the water underground. We can use this heated water. We dig wells and pump the hot water and steam out of the ground.

Geothermal Is Renewable The hot water we use will be replaced by rain. The heat inside the Earth will always be there. More heat is made every day in the Earth’s core. We won’t run out of geothermal energy. It is a renewable energy source.

Where Is Geothermal Energy? Geothermal energy is everywhere under the ground, but sometimes it is hard to reach. In most places, the crust is miles thick. Magma is near the surface in only a few places. Earthquakes and volcanoes are signs that magma is near the surface. When magma reaches the surface it is called lava. Most of the geothermal energy in the United States is found in western states and in Hawaii.

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Geothermal Power Plant POWER PLANT 2 3 INJECTION WELL 1 PRODUCTION WELL 1. Production Well: Geothermal fluids, such as hot water and steam, are brought to the surface and piped into the power plant.

LL MAA RRM E E R H TTH OIIR GGEEOOSSEERRVVO RREE MAA GGM A A M M

2. Power Plant: Inside the power plant, the geothermal fluid turns the turbine blades, which spin a shaft. This shaft is attached to the generator. The generator spins magnets inside a large coil of wire to generate electricity. 3. Injection Well: Used geothermal fluids are returned to the reservoir.

We Use Geothermal Energy People have used geothermal energy for thousands of years. In some places, there are pools of water that are always hot. They are warmed by underground springs. These hot springs have often been used for bathing. Many people believe these springs have healing powers. Most people in Iceland use hot water from geothermal wells to heat their homes.

Electricity Power plants use steam from geothermal wells to make electricity. The steam is used to spin turbines. The turbines spin magnets in coils of copper wire to make electricity. The power plants are built close to the wells. The steam is pumped straight from the wells to the power plants. The U.S. gets less than 1 percent of its electricity from geothermal power plants.

Geothermal Energy Is Clean Energy Geothermal energy is clean energy. No fuel is burned, so there is no air pollution. The steam is turned into water and put back into the Earth. And geothermal energy is cheap—once a new power plant is built, it can make electricity for less cost than a coal or natural gas plant.

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Hydropower Hydro comes from the Greek word meaning water. Hydropower is the energy we make with moving water. Moving water has a lot of energy. We use that energy to make electricity. Gravity—the force of attraction between all objects—makes the water move. Gravity pulls the water from high ground to low ground. The rain that falls in the mountains flows down the valleys to the oceans.

Hydropower Is Renewable The sun heats the water in the oceans, lakes, and rivers, turning some of it into water vapor, a gas, almost like steam. This is called evaporation. The water vapor rises and turns into clouds. When it reaches the cold air above the Earth, it turns back into liquid water. This is called condensation. The clouds release the water as precipitation—rain or snow— that falls to the Earth. The water flows back into rivers, lakes, and the oceans, and the cycle starts again. This process is called the water cycle. The water cycle will keep going forever and the water on Earth will always be there. We won’t run out of it. That’s why we call hydropower a renewable energy source.

The Water Cycle SOLAR ENERGY

CONDENSATION (Gas to Liquid)

PRECIPITATION

(Liquid or Solid)

EVAPORATION

(Liquid to Gas)

OCEANS, LAKES, RIVERS (Liquid)

U.S. Electricity Generation by Source, 2025 URANIUM

18%

NATURAL GAS 41%

COAL

17%

PETROLEUM, GEOTHERMAL, ALL OTHER 1%

WIND

10%

BIOMASS

Data: EIA

HYDROPOWER SOLAR

*Total may not equal 100 due to independent rounding.

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People Can Use Hydropower Early settlers used water wheels to grind grain and run sawmills. Factories used water wheels to run their machines. In many countries, water wheels are still used. Water wheels can use the energy of moving water. A water wheel has buckets around a big wheel. The buckets fill with water at the top of the wheel. The weight of the water turns the wheel and dumps the water at the bottom.

Moving Water Can Make Electricity Moving water can be used to make electricity. First, a dam is built across a river. This stops the water and makes a big lake, called a reservoir, behind the dam. When gates in the dam are opened, water flows down big pipes called penstocks and turns giant wheels, called turbines. The turbines power generators to make electricity. The first hydropower plant was built on the Fox River in Appleton, Wisconsin, in 1882. Today, there are more than 2,200 dams in the United States that make about five percent of our electricity.

Hydropower Is Clean Energy Hydropower is a clean source of energy. No fuel is burned, so the air is not polluted. It is the cheapest source of electricity because the water is free to use. And because we won’t run out of water, it is renewable.

Dam Reservoir

The reservoirs are used for swimming, fishing, boating, and other sports. When dams are built, the reservoirs flood a lot of land. They change the flow of the rivers. Sometimes, fish can’t swim up the rivers and lay their eggs like they could before, so dams must create fish ladders, elevators, and other devices to help fish move up the river.

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Pen sto ck

Generator

Power Lines

Turbine River

Natural Gas Natural gas is similar to air—it is a mixture of gases you can’t see, smell, or taste. But it is different, too. It has a lot of energy in it. You can burn it to make heat. The early Chinese burned natural gas for heat to separate salt from sea water.

Natural Gas Is Often a Fossil Fuel Natural gas was formed in the Earth long before the dinosaurs lived. Oceans filled with tiny sea plants and animals covered much of the Earth. When the plants and animals died, they sank to the bottom and were covered by sand. Layers of dead plants, animals and sand built up over time and turned into sedimentary rock. Heat from the Earth and pressure from the rock layers above turned the remains of the plants and animals into natural gas and petroleum. Since natural gas is made from the fossilized remains of plants and animals, it is called a fossil fuel.

OCEAN OCEAN Tiny Plants and Animals

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100 MILL ION YEAR Tiny plants and animals died and S AG O were buried on the sea floor. Over time, they were covered by layers of sediment rock. Over millions of years to hundreds of millions of years, the remains were buried deeper and deeper. The enormous heat and pressure turned them into oil and gas. Today, we drill down through layers of sedimentary rock to reach the rock formations that contain oil and gas deposits.

Trapped oil

TOD AY Note: not to scale

The plants and animals received their energy from the sun when they were alive. It was stored in them when they died. This is the energy in natural gas.

Most Natural Gas Is Nonrenewable Most of the natural gas we use today took hundreds of millions of years to form. That’s why we call it a nonrenewable energy source. We can’t make more in a short time. Garbage sometimes produces methane, the main gas in natural gas. Methane from rotting garbage is a renewable energy source because there will always be garbage and waste. 18

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Drilling for Natural Gas Natural gas is found underground in pockets of rock. We drill wells into the ground to reach the gas so that it can flow to the surface. Some wells are a mile or more deep! The natural gas is piped from the wells to machines that clean it and remove any water. A chemical called mercaptan is added so the gas smells like rotten eggs. This is how leaks are first detected.

Transporting Natural Gas We move natural gas from one place to another in pipelines. There are more than three million miles of pipeline all across the United States moving natural gas from wells to processing plants to our homes, factories, and buildings.

Image courtesy of SDF_QWE/Adobe Stock

Natural gas is transported through pipelines.

Did you know? If connected end to end, natural gas pipelines in the U.S. would be long enough to stretch from the Earth to the moon twelve times!

We Use Natural Gas Every Day Almost everyone uses natural gas. Natural gas provides 36 percent of U.S. energy. Most homes use natural gas for heat. So do schools and hospitals. Many stoves and water heaters use natural gas, too. Factories burn natural gas to make products like paper and cement. Natural gas is also an ingredient in paints, glues, fertilizers, plastics, medicines, and many other products. Industries like these use 32 percent of U.S. natural gas.

Image courtesy of Hanyou23 via Wikimedia Commons

Some city buses are fueled by natural gas.

Power plants burn natural gas to make electricity. Natural gas is our number-one source for electricity and is often used in new power plants. Over 40 percent of our electricity comes from natural gas. Natural gas can be used to run cars, trucks, and buses.

Natural Gas and the Environment Natural gas is the cleanest-burning fossil fuel. It doesn’t pollute the air as much as coal or oil. That’s why it is a better fuel for heating our homes and making electricity. However, natural gas releases carbon dioxide when it is burned, and methane and carbon dioxide are contributing to climate change.

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Petroleum Petroleum is a liquid that is found underground. Sometimes we call it oil. Oil can be as thick and black as tar or as thin as water. Petroleum has a lot of energy. We can turn it into different fuels—like gasoline, kerosene, and heating oil. Petroleum is used to make a lot of products, like plastic, ink, and tar for asphalt. People have burned oil for a long time. Long ago, they didn’t dig for it. They gathered oil that seeped from under the ground into ponds and floated on top of the water.

Petroleum Is a Fossil Fuel Long before the dinosaurs, oceans covered most of the Earth. They were filled with tiny sea animals and plants. As the plants and animals died, they sank to the ocean floor. Sand and sediment covered them and turned into sedimentary rock. Hundreds of millions of years passed. The pressure of the rocks above and the heat from the Earth turned them into petroleum and natural gas.

OCEAN OCEAN Tiny Plants and Animals

SAND 300

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How Petroleum and Natural Gas Were Formed

Plant and Animal Remains 50 to

100

MILL ION YEAR Tiny plants and animals died and S AG O were buried on the sea floor. Over time, they were covered by layers of sediment rock. Over millions of years to hundreds of millions of years, the remains were buried deeper and deeper. The enormous heat and pressure turned them into oil and gas. Today, we drill down through layers of sedimentary rock to reach the rock formations that contain oil and gas deposits.

Trapped oil

TOD AY Note: not to scale

Petroleum is called a fossil fuel because it was made from the fossilized remains of tiny sea plants and animals. The energy in petroleum came from the energy in the plants and animals. That energy came from the sun.

Petroleum Is Nonrenewable The petroleum we use today was made hundreds of millions of years ago. We can’t make more in a short time. That’s why we call petroleum nonrenewable. The United States doesn’t produce enough oil to meet our needs. We import 39 percent of the oil we use from other countries.

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We Drill Oil Wells Petroleum is buried underground in tiny pockets in rocks. We drill oil wells into the rocks to pump out the oil. The typical well is about one mile deep. Texas is the state that produces the most oil. A lot of oil is also under the oceans along our shores. Floating oil rigs are used to reach this oil. Most of these wells are in the Gulf of Mexico. After the oil is pumped to the surface, it is sent to refineries. At the refineries, it is separated into different types of products and made into fuels. Most of the oil is made into gasoline. The oil is moved from one place to another through pipelines and by ships and trucks.

Image coutesy of Milan/Adobe Stock An oil rig pumps oil from a well.

We Use Petroleum Every Day What would we do without petroleum? Petroleum is our most-used energy source, making up 37 percent of our energy use. Many people would have to make big changes in their lives if they couldn’t use petroleum. Most of our cars, trucks, and planes are powered by fuel made from oil. Our factories use oil to make plastics, paints, medicines, and soaps. We even burn a small amount of oil to make electricity in special circumstances and certain places.

Petroleum Can Pollute Petroleum keeps us going, but it can damage our environment. Burning fuels made from oil can pollute the air. Pollution from cars is a big problem in many parts of the country. Oil companies work to make cleaner gasoline and diesel fuel every year. Oil can pollute soil and water, harming the animals that live in the area. Oil companies work hard to drill and ship oil as safely as possible. They must clean up any oil that spills. Burning petroleum creates carbon dioxide. Carbon dioxide contributes to changes in the climate.

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Image courtesy of Adobe Stock Petroleum fuels can contribute to air pollution.

Propane Propane is the gas we use to fuel our backyard grills. It is a lot like natural gas—you cannot see it, smell it, or taste it, but you can burn it to produce heat energy. Propane has been around for many millions of years, but no one knew about it. It is buried underground in sedimentary rocks with natural gas and petroleum. Propane wasn’t discovered until 1912. Scientists knew they had found a good, new energy source. One year later, people were using it to heat their homes.

Propane Is a Fossil Fuel Propane is a fossil fuel. It was formed long before the dinosaurs roamed the Earth. Like oil and natural gas, it was formed from tiny sea animals and plants. The plants got their energy from the sun. This is the energy in propane. Propane is mixed with natural gas and petroleum when it comes from the ground. It is separated out at natural gas processing plants and oil refineries.

Propane Is Nonrenewable The propane we burn today was made a long time ago. It took a very long time to form. We can’t make more propane in a short time. It is a nonrenewable source of energy. We get propane from petroleum and natural gas. Our supply of propane depends on our supply of these other fossil fuels.

Propane Is Portable When propane comes out of the ground, it is a gas. But when it is put under pressure, it becomes a liquid. A lot more liquid can be put into a tank than gas. Liquid propane has 270 times more energy than propane as a gas! If a tank of propane gas lasted a day, the same-sized tank of liquid propane would last 270 days—almost a year.

Pipelines are used to transport propane and natural gas to a processing facility.

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Liquid propane is portable—that means it is easy to move from place to place. We use small tanks of liquid propane for our barbecue grills and on recreational vehicles. Some vehicles at airports, like the powerful tugs that push jets and the vehicles moving baggage, also use propane.

We Use Propane Every Day Many farms in the United States use propane to dry crops, run tractors, and heat barns. Businesses use propane for heating and cooking. Most of the carts and vehicles that we drive inside buildings use propane for fuel. It is a clean-burning fuel.

A propane grill.

Some cars and buses use propane for fuel. It is a very clean fuel. It doesn’t pollute the air like gasoline. However, engines must be changed to use propane, and that is expensive. Some people in the country don’t have natural gas pipelines near their homes. They use propane instead. They put big propane tanks outside their houses. Delivery trucks bring the propane right to their houses.

Image courtesy of Adobe Stock/Muchtar

Propane is stored in a large tank. It is used to provide energy for heating, cooking, and drying clothes.

Image courtesy of Adobe Stock via Henry Saint John

This forklift is fueled by propane.

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Solar We get most of our energy from the sun. We call it solar energy. It travels from the sun to the Earth in rays. Some are light rays that we can see. Some rays, like x-rays, we can’t see. The sun is a star. It is 100 times wider than Earth. The sun is made mostly of hot gases. It sends out huge amounts of energy every day. Most of the energy goes off into space. Only a small part reaches the Earth, but this amount is large enough to provide energy for many things!

Solar energy is light energy.

Solar Energy We use solar energy in many ways. All day, we use sunlight to see what we’re doing and where we’re going. Sunlight turns into heat when it hits things. Without the sun, we couldn’t live on the Earth— it would be too cold. We use the sun’s energy to heat water and dry clothes. Plants use the light from the sun to grow. Plants take the energy in light and store it in their roots and leaves. That energy feeds every living thing on Earth. We can also burn plants to make heat.

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Some people hang clothes outside to dry in the sun.

The Sun’s Energy Is in Many Things The energy from the sun makes rain fall and wind blow. We can capture that energy with dams and wind turbines. Coal, oil, and natural gas were made from prehistoric plants and animals. The energy in them came from the sun. We use that energy to cook our food, warm our houses, run our cars, and make electricity.

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Solar Energy Is Renewable Solar energy is free and clean. There is enough for everyone, and we will never run out of it. Solar energy is renewable. The sun will keep making energy for a very long time. Why don’t we use the sun for all our energy needs? The hard part is capturing the sunlight. It shines all over the Earth, and only a little bit reaches any one place. On a cloudy day, most of the light never reaches the ground at all. Solar energy provides one percent of the energy the United States uses each year.

We Use Solar Energy Lots of people put solar collectors on their roofs. Solar collectors capture the sunlight and turn it into heat. People can heat their houses and their water using the sun’s energy. Solar cells can turn solar energy into electricity. Some toys and calculators use solar cells instead of batteries. Solar panels are made of many solar cells. Some people put solar panels on their homes. These solar panels can make enough electricity for a house. Solar panels are good for houses, buildings, and equipment without access to power lines. Today, solar energy provides about seven percent of the electricity we use, but the amount we use is growing each year. In the future, it could be a major source of energy. Scientists are always looking for new ways to capture and use solar energy.

Solar Panels

Image courtesy of Adobe Stock Solar panels on a home’s roof turn solar energy into electricity.

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Uranium (Nuclear) Uranium is a mineral found in rocks in the ground. Uranium is nonrenewable. We can’t make more. There is plenty of uranium Atom in many parts of the world. We split uranium atoms to release energy.

Atoms

PROTON

Everything is made of atoms. Stars, trees, horses, air— all are made of atoms. Atoms are tiny, tiny particles.

NUCLEUS

Every atom is made of even smaller particles. In the center of an atom is the nucleus. It has protons and neutrons in it. Moving around the nucleus are electrons.

NEUTRON

ELECTRON

The number of protons tells us what kind of atom it is. So far, more than 100 different types of atoms have been found. You haven’t heard of some of them. There are some you do know. Hydrogen is a gas—every atom of hydrogen has one proton. Oxygen has eight, tin has 50, and uranium has 92.

Nuclear Energy There is energy stored in the nucleus of an atom. It is called nuclear energy. It holds the atom together. To use this energy, we have to set it free. There are two ways to free the energy in atoms. The first way is to combine atoms to make a new atom. This is called fusion. The energy from the sun comes from fusion. Inside the sun, small hydrogen atoms combine to make larger helium atoms. Helium atoms don’t need as much energy to hold them together. The extra energy is released as solar energy. Another way to free the energy in atoms is to split them apart. We can split one atom into two smaller atoms. This is called fission. The two smaller atoms don’t need all the energy that held the larger atom together. The extra energy is released as heat and radiation.

Fission The splitting of the nucleus of an atom into nuclei of lighter atoms, accompanied by the release of energy.

Lighter Element

Atom Splits

Neutron

Uranium 235

Neutron

+ Energy

Neutron

Lighter Element

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We Use Nuclear Energy Every Day Nuclear power plants use fission to make electricity. Atoms of uranium are split into two smaller atoms. The extra energy is released as heat, which is used to make electricity. Nuclear power is clean since no fuel is burned to pollute the air. And uranium is a cheap fuel. Right now, about 18 percent of our electricity comes from splitting atoms of uranium in nuclear power plants.

Radiation Can Be Dangerous During fission, heat isn’t the only energy that is released. Rays of energy, like x-rays, are also given off. These rays of energy, called gamma radiation, can be dangerous in large amounts. Radiation is everywhere. It comes from the sun, outer space, and even some rocks. Doctors use radiation to see broken bones or treat cancer. Small amounts of radiation are not dangerous. Large amounts of radiation can kill our cells and poison our food and water. Power plants are very careful to keep radiation from escaping. The power plants in the United States are required to follow rules to keep their employees and communities safe.

Used Nuclear Fuel Is a Challenge The fuel from nuclear power plants produces radiation for a long time. After the fuel is used, it still is radioactive—it gives off radiation. It can’t be put into a landfill. It must be carefully stored. Radiation from nuclear power plants is dangerous if it is not controlled. However, nuclear energy makes electricity without air pollution. Some people think nuclear energy is a good idea because it is clean and safe. Other people think the threat from radiation makes nuclear energy too dangerous.

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Image courtesy of U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission

Pacific Gas and Electric’s Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plant in California.

Wind Wind is moving air. We can use the energy in wind to do work. Early Egyptians used the wind to sail ships on the Nile River. People still use wind to move sailboats. In the Netherlands, people used windmills to grind wheat. American colonists used windmills to grind corn, pump water, and run sawmills. Today, we use wind to make electricity.

The Sun Makes the Wind Blow The energy in wind comes from the sun. When the sun shines, some of its light reaches the Earth’s surface. The Earth near the Equator receives more of the sun’s energy than the North and South Poles. Some surfaces of the Earth absorb more solar energy than others. Some surfaces reflect more of the sun’s rays back into the air. Light-colored surfaces and water reflect more sunlight than dark surfaces. Sand, snow, oceans, and ice reflect a lot of sunlight. Dark forests and cities with lots of buildings, bricks, and streets absorb a lot of sunlight. Different kinds of surfaces heat up at different speeds. When the Earth’s surface absorbs the sun’s energy, it turns the light into heat. This heat on the Earth’s surface warms the air above it. The air over the equator gets warmer than the surface air near the poles. The air over the desert gets warmer than the air in the mountains. The air over the land usually gets warmer than the air over the water. As air warms, it expands. The warm air over the land becomes less dense than the cooler air and rises into the atmosphere. Cooler, denser air nearby flows in to take its place. This moving air is what we call wind. It is caused by the uneven heating of the Earth’s surface.

Land Breeze

Sea Breeze

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Wind Energy Is Renewable As long as the sun shines, there will be winds on the Earth. We will never run out of wind energy. It is a renewable energy source. It is also free since no one can own the sun or the air.

We Can Capture the Wind Some places have more wind than others. Shallow water along coastlines or offshore in deep water are usually quite windy. Flat land and mountain passes are good places to catch the wind, too. Today, we use big wind turbines to capture the wind. Sometimes, there are hundreds of wind turbines in one place. This is called a wind farm. Wind turbines are very tall—if you laid a wind turbine down, it would stretch longer than one football field.

Wind Can Make Electricity

Rotor Hub

Low-speed shaft Low Gear box

High-speed shaft

Nacelle

Bla

Today, wind energy makes about 10 percent of the electricity we use in the United States. Most of the big wind farms are in Texas, Iowa, Oklahoma, Kansas, and Illinois. Many more are popping up all over the country and the world, on land and offshore.

Wind Turbine Diagram Blade

When the wind blows, it pushes against the blades of the wind turbines. The blades spin around. They turn a generator to make electricity. The wind turbines don’t run all the time, though. Sometimes the wind doesn’t blow at all and sometimes the wind blows too hard. Most wind turbines run between 65 and 90 percent of the time.

Tower

Generator

Wind Is Clean Energy Wind is a clean energy source. Wind turbines don’t burn fuel, so they don’t pollute the air. Wind is a safe renewable energy source and is free. Older wind turbines can make a lot of noise as they spin, but new ones do not make as much noise. One wind turbine usually doesn’t make enough electricity by itself for what we need in most areas. Most wind farms have many wind turbines working together. Wind farms can take up a lot of land. Most of the land they are on can still be farmed or used to graze animals. Wind turbines can also be placed in the ocean without disrupting fishing or navigation.

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Electricity Electricity sometimes seems like magic. We can’t see it like we see the sun. We can’t hold it like we hold coal. We know when it is working, but it is hard to know exactly what it is. Before we can understand electricity, we need to learn about atoms.

Atom

Atoms Everything is made of atoms—every star, every tree, every animal. Even people are made of atoms. The air and water are, too. Atoms are the building blocks of the universe. They are very, very tiny particles. Millions of atoms would fit on the head of a pin.

PROTON NUCLEUS

NEUTRON

ELECTRON

Protons, Neutrons, and Electrons An atom has two parts, the nucleus and the electron cloud. The center is called the nucleus. It is made of tiny protons and neutrons. Electrons move around the nucleus in energy levels, or shells, far from the nucleus. Because electrons are moving so fast around the nucleus, the area where they are found looks like a cloud. When an atom is in balance, it has the same number of protons and electrons. It can have a different number of neutrons. Electrons stay in their shells because a special force holds them there. Protons and electrons are attracted to each other. Protons have a positive charge (+) and electrons have a negative charge (–). Opposite charges attract each other.

Electricity Is Moving Electrons The electrons near the nucleus are held tight to the atom. Sometimes, the ones farthest away are not. We can push some of these electrons out of their energy levels. We can move them. Moving electrons are called electricity.

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Magnets Are Special

Bar Magnet

Magnets are special. They can pull on some objects and push or pull on other magnets. Many magnets are made of metal, but not all metals are magnets. Magnetic metals are special because they can be pulled by magnets or made into magnets. Magnets have an invisible force around them called a magnetic field. The magnetic field is what pulls or pushes. We call one end of the magnet the north (N) pole and the other end the south (S) pole. The force of the magnetic field flows from the north pole to the south pole. Have you ever held two magnets close to each other? They don’t act like most objects. If you try to push the two north poles together, they repel each other. If you try to push the two south poles together, they repel each other.

Like Poles Like poles of magnets (N-N or S-S) repel each other.

Opposite Poles Opposite poles of magnets (N-S) attract each other.

Turn one magnet around and the north and the south poles attract. The magnets stick to each other with a strong force. Just like protons and electrons, opposites attract.

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Electricity

Turbine Generator TURBINE

Magnets Can Make Electricity

MAGNET

Magnetism and electricity are related. Magnets can create electric fields and electricity can produce magnetic fields. Every time a magnetic field changes, an electric field is created. Every time an electric field changes, a magnetic field is created. Magnetism and electricity are always linked together; you can’t have one without the other. This is called electromagnetism.

Spinning Coil of Wire

MAGNET

We can use magnets to make electricity. A magnetic field can pull and push electrons to make them move. Some metals, like copper, have electrons that are loosely held. They are easily pushed from their shells.

TURBINE SPINS SHAFT

North Pole

South Pole DIRECTION OF ELECTRIC CURRENT TO TRANSMISSION LINES

TURBINE ROOM AT SAFE HARBOR

Power Plants Use Magnets Power plants use huge magnets to make, or generate, electricity. In a generator, a big coil of copper wire spins inside the magnets. As it spins, the magnetic fields push and pull electrons in the wire. The electrons in the copper wire flow into power lines. These moving electrons are the electricity that powers our houses. Power plants use giant wheels called turbines to spin the coils of wire in the generators. It takes a lot of energy to spin turbines. Power plants use many fuels to get that energy.

Image of Safe Harbor Water Power Corporation on the Lower Susquehanna River in Pennsylvania.

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Electricity Electricity Travels Through Wires

TRANSMISSION LINES

The spinning turbines make electricity. The electricity flows into power lines. The electrons flow through the power lines to our houses. They flow through the wires in our houses, into our devices, and back to the power plant. Then they start their journey again.

Image Credit: Adobe Stock/ Volodymyr Shevchuk

Transporting Electricity Power Plant

Transmission Lines

Power Tower Distribution Lines

Transformer

Transformers

Electric Poles

Home

There are many different types of power lines. The power plant makes electricity. The electricity flows through transmission lines held up by power towers. The transmission lines carry large amounts of electricity to electric poles in cities and towns. Distribution lines carry small amounts of electricity from the electric poles to houses and businesses. Transformers make sure the electricity is at a safe voltage or strength for us to use safely.

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Electricity

Electricity Travels in Loops Electricity travels in closed loops, or circuits (from the word circle). It must have a complete path from the power plant through the wires and back.

Electric Circuits FLOW OF ELECTRONS

–

LOAD ENERGY SOURCE

If a circuit is open, the electricity can’t flow. When we flip on a light switch, we close a circuit. The electricity flows through the light and back into the wire. When we flip the switch off, we open the circuit. No electricity flows to the light. It flows straight through the switch.

We Use Electricity Every Day Electricity does a lot of work for us. We use it many times each day. It lights our homes, warms and cools our rooms, and helps us keep them clean. It runs our TVs, phones, video games, computers, and tablets. It cooks our food and washes the dishes. It can power our lawn mowers and leaf blowers. It can even run our cars. We use a lot of electricity every year. Residential Electricity Use

WIRES

CLOSED SWITCH

A closed circuit is a complete path allowing electricity to flow from the energy source to the load. FLOW OF ELECTRONS

–

WIRES

LOAD ENERGY SOURCE

OPEN SWITCH

1,800 billion kWh (kilowatt-hours)

An open circuit has a break in the path. There is no flow of electricity because the electrons cannot complete the circuit.

1,500 2025, 1,515 billion kWh

1,200 900 600 300 0

1950

1960

1970

1980

1990

2000

2010

2020

Data: Energy Information Administration

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e Energy Safety We use many kinds of energy every day. Sometimes, energy can be dangerous. It is important to know the dangers and how to be safe. Here are some ways to stay safe when you are using energy.

Natural Gas Safety We use natural gas to warm our homes, cook our food, and heat our water. Natural gas is burned to make heat. That means there is fire in the furnace and in the water heater. There is fire on the stove. Fires are always dangerous. Do not play near the furnace, water heater, or stove. Never touch them unless an adult is with you. Natural gas can also be dangerous if there is a leak. The gas company puts a special chemical odor in natural gas. It smells like rotten eggs. That smell lets you know if there is a gas leak. Your parents or your teacher can show you how it smells.

Image Credit: Adobe Stock

If you ever smell natural gas, tell an adult. Don’t use the phone or turn on the lights. Leave your house right away. Never light a match or start a fire if there is a gas leak.

Petroleum Safety We use petroleum for lots of jobs. Gasoline runs our cars and our lawn mowers. Sometimes we burn oil in our furnaces for heat. We burn kerosene in lanterns. All of these fuels can be dangerous. You should never put them in your mouth or breathe their fumes. They also burn easily and can cause fires. Tell an adult if there is a spill and stay away from it. Don’t try to clean it up yourself.

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Energy Safety

Propane Safety Propane is used in gas grills and on farms for heat. Propane is stored in tanks. It can be dangerous. Never touch a propane tank. If you hear propane leaking from a tank or smell gas, tell an adult and stay away. Companies add the same rotten-egg odor to propane that they do to natural gas.

Electrical Safety Electricity is amazing. It gives us heat and light, and runs appliances—our TVs, computers, refrigerators, hair dryers, gaming systems, and washers. Electricity can also be dangerous. It can cause fires and injuries, even death.

Here are some rules for using electricity safely: Do not insert anything into an outlet except a plug. Do not pull on the cord to unplug an appliance; hold the plug and pull. Dry your hands before you plug in or unplug a cord. If a plug is broken or a cord is cut or worn, do not use it. Do not plug too many cords into one outlet. Turn off a light or unplug it before changing a light bulb. Never touch the inside of an appliance while it is plugged in. Keep appliances away from water. Do not use a hair dryer if there is water in the sink nearby. If there is a big storm, turn off the TV and computer. Do not touch any power lines outside. Some power lines are buried underground. Call 811 before you dig. If you are digging and find a wire, do not touch it. Do not fly a kite or climb a tree near a power line.

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OFF

Saving Energy

Most of the energy we use today comes from natural gas, oil, and coal. They are fossil fuels. They take millions or even hundreds of millions of years to form. We can’t make more quickly. They are nonrenewable. We need to save energy whenever we can. You can help.

Reduce A good way to save energy is by not wasting things. Don’t use paper plates or cups all the time, because you only use them once and then throw them away. Write on both sides of your paper. Use a lunch box and reusable bottle instead of paper bags and boxed drinks. Use a water-filtering pitcher and refillable bottle at home instead of several bottles of water that use a lot of plastic and energy to make. Buy one big bag of chips—not ten little ones. Reducing waste saves energy. It takes energy to make things and to get rid of them. Buy things without a lot of packaging. Some candy has more plastic wrapping around it than food in it. What a waste!

Reuse or Repair Try to use things more than once—reuse them. Wash out plastic containers and use them again. Wrap presents in reusable gift bags or recycled fabric. Buy toys and games at yard sales or exchanges, and you can save energy and money, too. Paint an old bike instead of buying a new one. Repair broken or old things whenever you can. Give your old clothes and toys to someone who needs them—do not throw them away.

Recycle Many things can be recycled—cans, paper, glass, plastic, electronics, clothes, and tires. Almost anything can be recycled in some way. It only takes a minute to recycle, and it saves energy. It takes a lot of energy to dig up metal and make a can. It only takes a little energy to make a new can from an old one. Cans can be recycled over and over again.

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OFF

Saving Energy

Plastic bottles can be recycled into more plastic bottles, clothes, shoes, and rugs. Paper can be recycled into boxes and bags. Companies reuse the expensive metals and minerals from recycled electronics. Old clothes can be made into new thread. Ground-up old tires can be used to make playgrounds safer and to pave roads. Do not throw away anything you can recycle.

Save Electricity You use a lot of electricity every day. Use only what you need. Do not turn on two lights if you only need one. Remember to turn off the lights when you leave a room. Turn off the TV and video games, too. Unplug devices you aren’t using. On a sunny day, read by a window. It’s a simple way to save energy. Keep the refrigerator door closed. Know what you want before you open the door. If you’re pouring a drink, don’t leave the door open. It takes a lot of energy to cool things. If the air conditioner is on, keep doors and windows closed. Avoid going in and out a lot. If you can, just use a fan and wear light clothes instead of using the air conditioner. When you leave a room, remember to turn the lights off.

Save Gasoline

It takes a lot of energy to operate a car. Walk or ride your bike wherever you can. If you and some of your friends are going to the same place, go together or carpool. Take the bus instead of asking for a ride to school.

Save Heat It takes a lot of energy to heat houses and water. If the heat is on, keep doors and windows closed. Wear warm clothes instead of turning up the heat. At night, use blankets to stay warm. Take showers instead of baths, and do not stand in there for a long time. Only use the water you need. Heating water uses a lot of energy.

You Can Make a Difference The things you do every day make a difference. If everyone saves just a little energy, it adds up to a lot. When you save energy, you save money, too. You have more money to spend on other things. Saving energy also helps protect the environment. Using less energy uses fewer natural resources and keeps our planet healthier for longer. Everyone can do a little bit to save energy and improve the environment. 38

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Glossary

appliance

a piece of equipment powered by electricity to make tasks easier; examples of common appliances are refrigerators; clothes washers and dishwashers; stoves, ovens, and microwave ovens; toasters; radios; and televisions

atom

a tiny unit of matter made up of protons, neutrons, and electrons

attract

to draw closer or stick to

battery

a device that stores chemical energy that can later be transformed into electrical energy

biodiesel

a fuel made from fat, grease, or vegetable oil that can be used in a diesel engine

biogas

a gas made from the breaking down of waste or living material

biomass

any living material or material that was once alive or came from a living organism; examples include crops, wood, animal wastes, trash, and aquatic plants

carbon dioxide

a chemical combination of one carbon and two oxygen atoms, naturally exists in many processes on Earth, produced when something is burned

circuit(s)

a conductor or a system of conductors through which electric current flows

closed circuit

electricity flowing in a continuous path or loop

coal

a fossil fuel formed by the breakdown of plant material millions to hundreds of millions of years ago

condensation

when water vapor as a gas turns into a liquid

core

the innermost layer of the Earth made of solid and liquid iron

crust

the outer, thin layer of the Earth

dam

a wall built upon a waterway to hold back water

deep mining

coal mining that takes place below the surface of the Earth

distribution line

power lines that carry electricity at a safer voltage to consumers

electric charge

can be either positive or negative; electric charge determines how atoms act around other atoms and produces electromagnetic fields

electric poles

tall poles that hold power lines above the ground

electricity

electrons in motion

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electromagnetism

having to do with magnetism produced by an electric current

electron

a tiny, energetic piece of an atom with a negative electric charge

energy

the ability to do work, produce change, or move an object

energy level

area where electrons can be found outside an atom’s nucleus

ethanol

a colorless liquid fuel made from plants that can burn and is often mixed with gasoline

evaporation

when liquid water turns into a vapor or gas, like steam

fish ladder

used at dams to allow fish to travel upstream, back over the dam

fission

the splitting of the nuclei of an atom; this splitting releases large amounts of energy and one or more neutrons; nuclear power plants split the nuclei of uranium atoms

fossil fuels

fuels (coal, oil, natural gas, etc.) that formed hundreds of millions of years ago from heat and pressure on plant and animal remains

fusion

when the nuclei of atoms are combined or “fused” together; the sun combines the nuclei of hydrogen atoms into helium atoms

gasoline

a fuel made from petroleum that runs many vehicles

generator

a device that turns motion from wind, water, or steam into electrical energy; generators are made of coils of wire and magnets that spin

geothermal energy

heat energy that is created by the Earth

gravity

the force of attraction between two items

hot springs

bodies of water that are heated from geothermal activity

hydropower

energy that comes from moving water

k kerosene l lava m magma

a liquid made from petroleum that can be used as a fuel or for thinning paints

magnet

any piece of iron, steel, etc., that has the property of attracting iron or steel

magnetic field

the area of force surrounding a magnet

mantle

the largest, middle layer of the Earth, composed of rock and magma

methane

a colorless, flammable, odorless hydrocarbon gas (CH4), which is the major component of natural gas; it is also an important source of hydrogen in various industrial processes; methane is a greenhouse gas

mine shaft

a tunnel dug deep into the ground to carry miners and machines to the coal

magma that has reached the Earth’s surface molten rock within the Earth

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natural gas

an odorless, colorless, tasteless, non-toxic, clean-burning fossil fuel; it is usually found in fossil fuel deposits and used as a fuel

natural resources

materials found on Earth that can be used by living things to survive

negative charge

see electric charge

neutron

neutrally charged particle within the nucleus of an atom

nonrenewable

fuels that cannot be easily made or replenished; we can use up nonrenewable fuels; oil, natural gas, propane, uranium, and coal are nonrenewable fuels

north pole

the end of a magnet from which the magnetic field flows

nuclear energy

energy stored in the nucleus of an atom that is released by the joining or splitting of the nuclei

nucleus

the core of the atom that holds protons and neutrons

oil

another name for petroleum, a black, liquid fossil fuel found deep in the Earth; gasoline and most plastics are made from oil

open circuit

electricity cannot flow in a continuous loop because its path is interrupted or broken

penstock

a large pipe that carries moving water from the reservoir to the generator in a hydropower plant

petroleum

another name for oil or the products refined from oil; petroleum materials include diesel fuel, heating oil, etc.

photosynthesis

when plants make food (sugar) using the energy in sunlight

pipeline

a system of pipes that carries petroleum and natural gas from place to place

pollution

a substance that is harmful to any environment; pollution can include trash, gases, chemicals, and even noise

positive charge

see electric charge

power

the amount of energy or electricity being used

power lines

cables or wires that carry electricity from place to place

power plant

a place where electricity is created

power tower

a tower that supports or holds transmission lines that carry high-voltage electricity

precipitation

liquid or solid water that falls from the clouds to the ground

propane

a gas found with petroleum and natural gas that is used mostly for cooking and heating

proton

positively charged particle within the nucleus of an atom

Elementary Energy Infobook

www.NEED.org

radiation

energy that travels in a wave

radioactive

when a material is giving off harmful amounts of radiation

reclamation

restoring and reusing land that was once used for mining or industry

recycle

taking materials that are no longer useful and making a new product

reduce

to decrease or use less

refinery

a plant that heats and separates petroleum into products

renewable

fuels that can be easily made or replenished; we can never use up renewable fuels; types of renewable fuels are hydropower (water), solar, wind, geothermal, and biomass

repel

to push away from

reservoir

a lake to store or hold water

reuse

to use again

scrubber

controls pollution by scrubbing and removing dirt and waste from power plant emissions

sedimentary rock

a type of rock formed by deposits of earth materials, or within bodies of water; oil and gas are found in sedimentary rock; coal is a sedimentary rock

solar cell

a device that changes energy from the sun into electricity

solar collector

an item, like a car or greenhouse, that absorbs energy from the sun and traps it

solar energy

the energy of the sun, which can be changed into other forms of energy, such as heat or electricity

solar panel

a group of solar cells put together to create a larger amount of electricity at once

south pole

the end of a magnet from which the magnetic field flows from the north pole

surface mining

when rocks are removed from close to the Earth’s surface

technology

tools and knowledge combined to solve problems and complete work

transformer

a device that controls the voltage of the electricity on power lines

transmission line

power lines that move larger amounts of power at a high voltage, usually over long distances

turbine

a device with blades, which are turned by water, wind, or steam

u uranium v voltage w waste-to-energy plant

water cycle

a mineral that can be mined and used, a radioactive element a measurement of electrical energy a power plant that generates electricity by burning garbage continuous cycle carrying water from land and bodies of water into the atmosphere and back to the Earth ©2026 The NEED Project

Elementary Energy Infobook

www.NEED.org

water vapor

water molecules that have evaporated to become a gas

water wheel

a wheel with buckets that uses flowing water to do work

well

a hole drilled in the Earth to gather resources like water, oil, or natural gas

wind

moving air

wind farm

a group of wind turbines in one area

wind turbine

a device powered by the wind that produces mechanical or electric power

windmill

a device that uses sails or arms that turn to do work

Elementary Energy Infobook

www.NEED.org

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